VARANASI: Solar Impulse 2 landed in Varanasi on Wednesday for an overnight stopover after its pilot launched an angry attack on Indian bureaucracy following a lengthy hold-up in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

Bertrand Piccard, one of the two Swiss pilots of the solar-powered plane, said he and his team had been frustrated by delays over paperwork in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The plane landed in Ahmedabad last Tuesday from the Omani capital Muscat after completing an initial sea crossing in its epic bid to become the first plane to fly around the world solely powered by the sun.

The single-seater had been due to leave on Sunday for a short flight to Varanasi before heading onto neighbouring Myanmar on Thursday.

But the plane, flown by co-pilot Andre Borschberg, could only leave on Wednesday morning after delays blamed on bad weather, while Piccard’s support team remained stuck at Ahmedabad airport hours after takeoff.

“The delay is (because) of administration, papers, stamps,” Piccard told reporters at Ahmedabad airport.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2015

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